Location and Topographical Regions
The Commonwealth of Virginia is located in the eastern part of the United States, approximately midway between the North and the South, and it is classified geographically as a South Atlantic State. The shape of the state suggests an irregular triangle: the base of the triangle, the southern boundary of the state which divides it from North Carolina and Tennessee; the left side or western side, dominated by the Blue Ridge, the Appalachian and the Allegheny Mountains; and the right side or eastern side, the Coastal Plain.
Virginia is bounded on the north by West Virginia, Maryland and the Potomac River which forms the boundary between Virginia and Maryland and Virginia and the District of Columbia; on the east by the Potomac River, Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean; on the south by North Carolina and Tennessee; and on the west by Kentucky and West Virginia.
The area of the state is approximately 40,815 square miles. This area places Virginia thirty-sixth in rank in area among the States of the Union. Approximately 2,000 square miles of this area consist of water. The southern boundary extends approximately 450 miles from east to west and the distance from north to south is approximately 200 miles at its widest point. The geographical center of Virginia is at a point eleven miles south of east of the town of Amherst in Appomattox County. The highest point is Mount Rogers located in Smyth and Grayson Counties with an elevation of 5,719 feet. The lowest altitude is sea level along the Atlantic Coast. The average elevation of the state is 950 feet.
Topographically, Virginia may be conveniently divided into five major regions:
(1) the South Atlantic Coastal Plain—As the name suggests, this region extends along the coast from the Atlantic Ocean to the Fall Line Zone. The Fall Line Zone refers to a section where the streams pass from the rocky areas of the mountain region or high land to the level area or low land; at such points, falls or rapids develop. The Great Falls of the Potomac in Maryland and in Virginia, the Falls of the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg, the rapids of the James River at Richmond and the Falls of the Appomattox at Petersburg illustrate the concept of the Fall Line. Consequently, the so-called Fall Line extends from Washington, D. C., through Alexandria, Fredericksburg, Richmond, Petersburg and Emporia in Virginia. Thus, the South Atlantic Coastal Plain region of Virginia is located along the Atlantic seacoast from the Potomac River at Alexandria to the North Carolina boundary line and as far west as the Fall Line Zone. The width of this area varies from 35 miles to 120 miles. This region is also called "Tidewater" Virginia because the level land here is so low that the ocean tides may often be seen in the inland streams. "Tidewater" Virginia includes five peninsulas formed by the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac, the Rappahannock, the York and the James Rivers. These five peninsulas are:
a. the Eastern Shore—Although most of Tidewater Virginia is located on the western side of the Chesapeake Bay, a unique peninsula called the Eastern Shore extends southward from Maryland and is separated from the rest of Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay. Thus, in order to travel by land from the mainland of eastern Virginia to the Eastern Shore, it is necessary to travel via Maryland.
b. the Northern Neck—This peninsula lies between the Potomac and the Rappahannock Rivers and is only 22 miles at its widest point.
c. the Middle Peninsula—This peninsula lies between the Rappahannock and the York Rivers.
d. the Peninsula of the Lower York-James Peninsula or the Williamsburg Peninsula—This peninsula is located between the York and James Rivers.
e. the Norfolk Peninsula—This peninsula is located between the James River and the Virginia-North Carolina boundary line. In general, the land in this region is a flat plain. The tidal rivers mentioned previously are actually estuaries of Chesapeake Bay and they flow periodically inland. Therefore, they are an unusual combination of waters from the Bay itself and from the Atlantic Ocean whose pressure pushes the tides inland. The strong influence of geography upon occupations in this region is exemplified by the importance of commercial fishing (especially oysters, scallops, clams and crabs), ocean transportation (the large area of deep water in the Chesapeake Bay encourages ocean-going commercial ships to seek inland ports in this region—especially around Hampton Roads), truck farming (the clay loam soil and the sandy loam soil here provide excellent productivity of potatoes, early vegetables, corn and hay), and the manufacturing of fertilizer (particularly from fish and fish scraps), bricks (an abundance of sand and gravel encourages the making of bricks), pulpwood, railroad ties, barrel staves and other lumber products (60% of the Tidewater area is covered with forests).
(2) the Piedmont Plateau—This region extends from the Coastal Plain westward to the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The word "Piedmont" literally means "at the foot of the mountain." A plateau is defined as a high lowland; therefore, this section is higher in elevation than the Coastal Plain region. This area is characterized by rolling hills and many swift streams. The width of the plateau varies from forty miles in Northern Virginia to one hundred ninety miles in the southern part, gradually broadening as one travels southward. The plateau rises gradually from an elevation of 200-700 feet at the eastern end of the plateau until, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, it reaches approximately 1500 feet near the Virginia-North Carolina border. The Piedmont area located south of the James River is known as the Southside. Agriculture is the chief occupation because, in general, this land is fertile due to the presence of limestone soils and clay deposits. Large amounts of tobacco are grown here. The Piedmont also has a great variety of rocks, including granite and soapstone which are currently commercially important.
(3) the Blue Ridge and Valleys—Although the Blue Ridge Mountains are a part of the Appalachian Range, they are, geographically, sufficiently significant to afford them a separate listing in a topographical description of Virginia. The Blue Ridge Mountains, located between the Potomac and the Roanoke Rivers, cross Virginia in a northeast-southwest direction and are from three to twenty miles wide. The Blue Ridge of Virginia originates at the junction of the Potomac and the Shenandoah Rivers and continues southwestward to the North Carolina line. From a distance the mountain ridges usually appear to be covered with a blue haze; therefore, the term "Blue Ridge" is believed to have originated from such an observation in early colonial Virginia days. This region constitutes a distinct contrast to the Piedmont area since the ridges appear abrupt yet lofty in height: in the northern half of Virginia, Stony Man Ridge (4,010 feet) and Hawksbill (4,049 feet); in the central part, Peaks of Otter (Flat Top—4,001 feet and Sharp Top—3,875 feet) and in the southwestern part, White Top Mountain (5,520 feet) and Mount Rogers (5,719 feet), the highest point in Virginia. In the southern part, the Blue Ridge becomes a rugged plateau with stony land and jagged ravines unsuited for commercial agricultural pursuits. This entire area is heavily forested with white pine, white oak, poplar, hemlock, black oak, yellow pine, chestnut, locust and chestnut oak trees. The famous Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park extends one hundred miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in this area from Front Royal to Waynesboro.
(4) the Appalachian Ridge and Valleys—This region is located west of the Blue Ridge and Valleys. The Appalachian Ridge consists primarily of a narrow strip of land thirty-five to one hundred miles wide. The Allegheny Mountains border Virginia along the west and numerous high, narrow ridges are found here. The Appalachian Valley in Virginia, like the Blue Ridge, originates at the junction of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. This valley extends for approximately three hundred and fifty miles to the borderline of Tennessee. The eastern part of this valley is often referred to as the Great Valley or the Valley of Virginia. This valley is actually a series of valleys separated by crosswise ridges and drained by five rivers: the upper James, Roanoke, New, Holston and Powell. An abundance of limestone makes the soil exceptionally fertile and productive. In the northern part of the Valley of Virginia is the famous Shenandoah Valley, about 150 miles long and ten to twenty miles wide, divided in the north by the Massanutten Mountain, a high ridge approximately forty-five miles long. There is a great variety of soils found here, and most of them have a fair degree of plant fertility. Corn and winter wheat are the agricultural specialties of the Shenandoah Valley. Other valleys included in the Valley of Virginia are the Abingdon Valley, Dublin Valley, Fincastle Valley, Powell Valley, Roanoke Valley, New River Valley, Holston Valley and Clinch Valley.
(5) the Appalachian Plateau—This region is located in southwestern Virginia and is often referred to as the Southwestern Plateau or Allegheny Plateau. It extends only a short distance into Virginia and consists mainly of rough, rugged terrain. Water gaps, gorges, sandstone walls, rock formations and dense forested areas make southwestern Virginia's scenery distinctly different and picturesque. The Cumberland Mountains form its western boundary. Coal-mining is the chief occupation in this region, and this is the area where the largest and most productive coal-fields of Virginia are located. Lumbering is also carried on extensively. In addition, some cattle, hogs, corn and vegetables are raised here.
The combination of these five regions suggests a one-word description of Virginia's topography, namely, diversified.
Topographical Regions of Virginia
